Reset (Sans x Older!Frisk)

9- Loss

When Frisk woke up, she hadn't realized she'd even been asleep. She couldn't remember her dreams, which was odd because she didn't think Chara would miss an opportunity to torment her.

She was staring at the ceiling of the lab, and everything looked unfocused and red-tinged, blurring slightly in and out. She felt somewhat separated from herself, like she was watching through eyes other than her own.

Trying to shake off the ridiculous feeling of dread, she decided to close her eyes for a little while longer, since the red tinge was growing bolder and more pronounced.

She couldn't make herself close her eyes. Instead, she could feel her mouth slowly twisting in a grin, and a laugh that wasn't her own began to escape her lips.

She stood up, flexing her hands, looking at them greedily with that crimson-stained gaze.

Frisk tried to force her limbs to move, to break free, but she had begun to accept that she was no longer in control. Chara was. It had happened too fast.

It felt so... hopelessly inevitable.

Like so many times before, Frisk felt her mind begin to lose hold, to go numb and blank and empty.

"You really slipped up, didn't you, friend?" The murmured words came from Frisk's mouth, but they were twisted- a sick kind of cheerful tone that Frisk never could have spoken herself. "You let your guard down." She was still grinning, so wide that it made Frisk's face hurt.

Why are you doing this? Frisk asked, and realized that she was now the one reduced to being the feeble voice in Chara's head- a cruel reversal of roles. The thought alone made her want to cry.

"Why?" Chara responded softly, voice shallow and cold, "Because it's fun."

"Frisk?" A voice came from across the room, and Chara snapped her head sharply to the side to see where it came from. "You're awake?" It was Alphys, who appeared to have fallen asleep at her desk chair.

"Yes," Chara answered through Frisk's mouth, dropping the grin almost immediately, replacing it with a sickly sweet smile. "Where did everyone else go?"

"O-oh, they went home earlier this morning," Alphys replied, returning her smile.

"Shame," Chara said, allowing only a hint of darkness to enter her voice, but Frisk could hear it loud and clear. "I really wanted to thank them for taking such good care of me." She paused, then added, "Well, I suppose I should thank you first and foremost."

Frisk felt her legs begin to move, carrying her closer and closer to Alphys, and the smile on her face got bigger. Alphys seemed to sense that something was off, and a hint of fear was clear in her wide eyes, but she didn't back off, as much as Frisk wished she would.

Don't hurt her! Frisk screamed inside her own mind. Chara, please! DON'T HURT HER!

To Frisk's shock, Chara did the opposite of what she expected and hugged Alphys. "Thank you," she said again, and she felt the tension in Alphys' shoulders relax.

"Y-y-you're welcome," Alphys replied, smiling weakly, "I, um, I can also call you and help you get through the puzzles in Hotland."

"That would be much appreciated," Chara responded with the same fake-friendliness as before, "I'll be on my way, then."

As she walked towards the door, she picked up a letter opener from Alphys' overcrowded desk and slipped it surreptitiously in her pocket. Then she stepped out into Hotland, a blast of hot air meeting her. She waited for the door to close behind her, then threw her head back and started laughing.

"Oh, Frisk!" She howled, "Your reaction was priceless!"

You- Frisk replied, stunned, You didn't hurt her.

"She's not exactly high on my list of priorities," Chara informed her, "And besides that, I had no weapon. Beating monsters to death with my fists isn't really my style." She pulled out the letter opener and smiled, running her finger over the side of the blade. "Of course, if you really wanted I could go back and-"

No! Don't!

"You are just too funny," Chara said with a sick sort of affection in her voice, "I do this all for you, you know. Your head is so entertaining to mess with."

Chara began walking forward, twirling the blade in her hand cheerily. With each step, Frisk fought her, trying to stop her legs from moving, but she seemed to have no effect at all. She could only hope they wouldn't run into any monsters until she could figure out a way to regain control.

"By the way, Frisk," Chara said offhandedly, "You did wonderfully bringing all your friends together like that. I'm sure Mettaton won't attack us now, and Alphys can help us get through the puzzles. We have a straight shot to the judgement hall."

What do you mean? Frisk asked, afraid of the reply.

"Oh, you know," Chara answered blithely, "I want to give someone a bad time."

A/N: Hello my dumplings. Fast update this time, heh. I figured I owed you guys one.

Also, I added a video to serve as background music, and I'm thinking about doing it for the other chapters too if I can find fitting songs. You can listen if you want, or don't if you don't want, doesn't really matter to me :)

Please do let me know if you think it's a good idea to add music or not though, I love feedback from you guys, and I'm kind of wavering on the edge at this point.

As always, thanks for reading!